Chapter 1210: The Fifteenth Son, the Newcomer and the Old

"We respectfully welcome His Majesty!"

Passing the palace maids who were bowing in salute, Emperor Liu went straight into the inner chamber and lifted the beaded curtain, where he saw Consort Fu recuperating from childbirth. Having given birth not long ago, the younger Lady Fu's complexion had already recovered considerably, though her figure had somewhat changed—how voluptuous she had become.

Seeing Emperor Liu, the younger Lady Fu's beautiful eyes lit up, but soon dimmed, and the joy on her noticeably fuller face quickly faded as well. Emperor Liu noticed her change, and seeing her about to rise and bow, he quickened his steps and gently pressed her down: "No need for such formalities!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The younger Lady Fu's voice was also very soft and gentle.

"Where is my little prince? Bring him out quickly so I can see him!" Emperor Liu looked around and said in a loud voice, his sonorous tone reflecting his joyful mood.

The younger Lady Fu pulled at Emperor Liu and said softly, "He was just fed and has already fallen asleep!"

Hearing this, Emperor Liu lowered his voice and gave a look that said he had come at an inconvenient time. However, when an emperor wants to see his son, even if the child is asleep, he must be brought out.

Soon, under the light-footed care of the wet nurse, a cradle was carried before the sovereign, and Emperor Liu's fifteenth son lay inside, sleeping soundly.

Emperor Liu bore no burden of child-rearing, so he could only see the beautiful side of children. Even though this was already his fifteenth son, Emperor Liu still could not help feeling the joy of a new life descending.

In recent years, Emperor Liu had not been sowing seeds as frequently as before, but there were still results—a total of two sons and two daughters had been born in the harem. However, only the fourteenth son Liu Xi, born of Yelu Ling, still survived; the rest had died in succession.

For this, Emperor Liu had flown into a rage, and the imperial physicians and palace maids involved were either demoted or executed before he felt somewhat appeased. In this era, the survival rate of infants was truly low—even in the imperial household, no matter how meticulous the care, accidents were always unavoidable.

In fact, it was not just the imperial household—men like Guo Rong, Zhao Kuangyin, and Han Lingkun had also lost many of their children to early death. Of Zhao Kuangyin's many sons and daughters, fewer than half had survived.

Therefore, with another imperial prince added to the Han palace, and the birth mother being Consort Fu, Emperor Liu naturally attached even greater importance to this child. Looking at the little one sleeping peacefully with no signs of abnormality, Emperor Liu felt somewhat reassured.

Only then did he raise his head and say to the younger Lady Fu, "The name has already been chosen—Liu Xuan. That old scholar Liu Wensou picked it, citing classics and splitting hairs over words. In any case, it carries auspicious meaning!"

"But he was only just born!" The younger Lady Fu was somewhat surprised.

Generally speaking, princes and princesses were given a period of time to grow before being bestowed names and entered into the succession order, precisely to account for the possibility of early death. However, there were always exceptions, and Liu Xuan was merely one of them.

Emperor Liu smiled warmly and said, "He will surely grow up healthy and strong!"

Saying this, Emperor Liu waved his hand at the palace maids and said with a somewhat stern tone, "Take the prince away and care for him well!"

"Yes!" Emperor Liu had clearly frightened the staff, especially that well-endowed wet nurse, who was trembling uncontrollably.

Emperor Liu had come naturally to visit Consort Fu and her child, but as he conversed with her, he clearly noticed that her spirits were not high—she even seemed somewhat dejected.

Finally, Emperor Liu spoke up with concern: "What's wrong? Why so melancholy? From the moment I stepped into this hall, I've seen worry written all over your face. This isn't good for your recovery. Tell me—who in this palace could possibly make you feel wronged?"

Hearing this question, the younger Lady Fu's expression finally changed, and she perked up somewhat. Meeting Emperor Liu's gaze, she asked softly, "Does Your Majesty think I've grown old?"

Hearing this kind of question, Emperor Liu felt a sense of helplessness. Women's thoughts were often hard to fathom, and in the harem, Consort Fu had the most girlish sensitivities of all.

What he thought inwardly didn't matter; on the surface, he put on a comforting expression and said to her, "Why speak of being old? You're only thirty-five—what's there to be so sentimental about? Don't you know me? In my view, a woman's most beautiful age is precisely this one—you are just entering your most beautiful stage! Otherwise, why would I always come running to your place? And how do you think Liu Xuan came to be..."

As he spoke, Emperor Liu even winked at the younger Lady Fu, revealing the expression of an old lecher. Seeing this, the younger Lady Fu couldn't help but burst into laughter, and once she smiled, her mood seemed to brighten considerably. She proactively nestled against Emperor Liu and said languidly, "Your Majesty may think this way, but I fear others don't..."

Returning to Chuigong Hall, Emperor Liu did not take the imperial palanquin but walked on foot, slowly and leisurely, in a health-preserving manner. Walking through the corridors, the summer heat was kept outside.

"Consort Fu was just complaining to me. From what she said, someone has been disparaging her for being old, which has upset her." After a long pause, without even turning his head, Emperor Liu casually asked Yan Tuo, "Do you know what this is about?"

Yan Tuo kept pace closely at his side. Hearing this, he carefully observed Emperor Liu's expression and hesitated somewhat. Then a somewhat stern "Speak" startled him.

Not daring to conceal anything, Yan Tuo hurriedly explained, "From what this humble one knows, after Consort Fu gave birth, rumors spread in the palace saying this was an old tree bearing fruit..."

"An old tree bearing fruit, indeed!" Emperor Liu chuckled lightly and said flatly, "So such rumors exist? Hm? Where did they come from?"

"They first spread from the maidservants beside Lady of Beauty Zhang." Yan Tuo said.

Lady of Beauty Zhang was a beauty who had entered the palace not long ago. Only eighteen years old, with a beautiful face and a graceful figure, Emperor Liu had favored her several times. She was a new favorite, bestowed the rank of Lady of Beauty.

"You seem to know quite a lot!" Emperor Liu glanced sideways at Yan Tuo.

Yan Tuo clasped his hands and replied, "This humble one is trusted by Your Majesty and oversees all the palace eunuch offices, so I happen to know a thing or two..."

"Then how have you been doing your job as head eunuch?" Though it was high summer, Emperor Liu's tone made one feel a chill: "Since when did this palace become so lacking in propriety, that servants and underlings dare to gossip and spread rumors about the consorts?"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" Hearing this, Yan Tuo knew well Emperor Liu's stance and immediately said, "This humble one will deal with it shortly. I will make sure those gossiping wretches can never speak again..."

To this, Emperor Liu made no further comment and continued walking toward Chuigong Hall. Seeing this, Yan Tuo breathed a slight sigh of relief. Since ancient times, vying for favor had been the main theme of the harem, and it was the same on Emperor Liu's side—it was only because Empress Fu managed the harem affairs, with her favor never waning and her position secure, that everyone else was kept in check. However, for some newcomers who lacked awareness, this did not apply.

And as the head eunuch at Emperor Liu's side, Yan Tuo had to be extra careful in this regard as well. Following Emperor Liu for a while, Emperor Liu stopped and asked again, "Over the years, the Empress has managed the harem for me, and I haven't paid much attention to its affairs. Tell me—are there many incidents of women squabbling over favor and scheming against each other?"

"This..." Facing this question, Yan Tuo hesitated for a moment, then clasped his hands and said, "This humble one finds it hard to say!"

"Hard to say!" Emperor Liu couldn't help but smile, then said with feeling, "I must thank the Empress—she has given me such a long period of peace..."